By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech baseball team wraps up a seven-game home stand with a huge Ohio Valley Conference series against longtime league rival Morehead State this weekend, kicking things off with a 6:00 p.m. CT tilt Friday evening at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex.
Game two of the series is slated for a 2:00 p.m. start Saturday afternoon while Sunday's finale will feature a 1:00 p.m. first pitch. All three contests are scheduled to be streamed live on ESPN+ with Dylan Vazzano on the call. Admission to all Tech home baseball games is free of charge.
Friday's series opener marks the 185th match-up since 1949 between the two programs, with the visiting Eagles owning a 97-86-1 lead in the series. Since Tech head Matt Bragga arrived in Cookeville in 2004, the Golden Eagles and Morehead have turned in spectacular theatre, with the purple and gold the slightest edge of 32-31 from that 2004 campaign through last year.
Last season, the Eagles took the final two contests in a three-game series up in Morehead, one that featured plenty of late-inning drama. In the opener, Tech saw a 12-6 lead disappear over the final two regulation frames, with Morehead State tying the ball game in the bottom of the ninth.
The Golden Eagles responded with a massive five-spot in the 10th, earning the hard-nosed, 17-12 victory. Morehead completed the comeback attempt in the second game of the series, the first of a doubleheader on the day, scoring five runs between the seventh and eighth frames for a 10-7 decision.
Tech ran out of time in the finale, a seven-inning affair due to the OVC's travel rules on the final day of a series. The Golden Eagles scored runs in the fifth, sixth, and seventh frames, but ultimately fell, 4-3.
On Tuesday, the purple and gold turned in a comeback victory over in-state rival Middle Tennessee at the Quill, overcoming a 7-2 deficit to pick up an 11-9 triumph. The midweek win followed a weekend series sweep of OVC foe Western Illinois.
Hurler Landon Smiddy tossed 8.1 innings with just two earned and three total runs allowed in the series opener with the Leathernecks, striking out a career-high 11 batters in the 6-3 win. He was rewarded with OVC Pitcher of the Week honors for the first time in his career on Monday.
The Tech bats have been on a role during the team's four-game winning streak, banging out 13 hits in Friday's 12-2 triumph. They followed with 14 more knocks in a 12-8 win in the series finale on Saturday and 13 in the midweek victory over MTSU.
Known historically under the watch of long-time head coach Matt Bragga as one of the premier, home-run slugging programs in the country year in and year out, this year's Golden Eagles squad sports a slightly different look on offense. The 2024 edition still ranks third in the OVC in long balls, but it's been the patience and speed that has shined during the season.
Heading into the weekend, the Golden Eagles ranked third in the nation in triples as a team, boasting 15 so far on the year. Tech ranks 18th nationally in walks, drawing 175 this year to lead the OVC.
Left fielder Austin Turner paces the group with a whopping 37 in 29 games, tying for the national lead. Boasting 110 in his Tech career, he now ranks seventh in program history for walks, leading his own teammate, catcher Hayden Gilliland, who ranks eighth with 109 free passes. His eight career triples rank eighth in program history.
Turner is also tied for eighth in the nation with four triples while center fielder Nicho Jordan ranks tied for 21st with three. Peyton Calitri has been special on the bump, ranking third nationally with a strikeout/walk ratio of 15.00, fanning 45 batters with just three free passes on the year.
Morehead State enters the weekend after claiming an OVC series win over Southern Indiana at home last week. The Eagles opened the weekend with a back-and-forth, 11-10 victory on Thursday, picking up a walk-off home run in the ninth after the Screaming Eagles tied the ball game in the top half of the frame.
The Eagles tried to rally in Friday's second ball game, scoring twice in the ninth in an eventual 8-7 loss. The Morehead offense came out firing in the finale, smashing six long balls on its way to an 18-9 victory.
Twitter: @TNTech_Baseball
Facebook: /TennesseeTechBaseball
Instagram: TNTech_Baseball
Current Weekend Schedule
Friday, Apr. 5 | 6:00 p.m. CT | vs. Morehead State
Saturday, Apr. 6 | 2:00 p.m. CT | vs. Morehead State
Sunday, Apr. 7 | 1:00 p.m. CT | vs. Morehead State
TENNESSEE TECH GOLDEN EAGLES
2024 Record: 17-12
2024 OVC Record: 4-2
Head Coach: Matt Bragga
TTU: 514-465-2 (18th Season)
Career: 565-541-3 (21st Season)
STATS LEADERS
AVG: Hayden Gilliland (.364)
2B: Troy Baunsgard (12)
3B: Austin Turner (4)
HR: Preston Steele (7)
RBI: Hayden Gilliland (32)
R: Austin Turner (33)
BB: Austin Turner (37)
SLG%: Tanner Shiver (.683)
OB%: Hayden Gilliland (.500)
SB: Austin Turner (12)
ERA: Peyton Calitri (2.40)*
W: Peyton Calitri (4)
APP: Jack Erdman / Drew Mattox (11)
IP: Peyton Calitri (45.0)
K: Peyton Calitri (45)
BAA: Peyton Calitri (.232)*
SV: Jack Erdman (3)
* minimum 1.0 innings pitcher per team game played
MOREHEAD STATE EAGLES
2024 Record: 16-12
2024 OVC Record: 3-3
Head Coach: Jerry Meyers
MSU: 16-12 (1st Season)
Career: Same
STATS LEADERS
AVG: Colton Becker (.368)
2B: Colton Becker (11)
3B: None
HR: Roman Kuntz (15)
RBI: Roman Kuntz / Ryley Preece (40)
R: Ryley Preece (43)
BB: Ryley Preece (26)
SLG%: Roman Kuntz (.811)
OB%: Ryley Preece (.286)
SB: Colton Becker (15)
ERA: Luke Helton (5.82*
W: Luke Helton (4)
APP: Matt Bettio (11)
IP: Luke Helton (43.1)
K: Luke Helton (42)
BAA: Luke Helton (.274)*
SV: Will Grimmett (2)
* minimum 1.0 innings pitcher per team game played
Photo by Jim Dillon
